Series of FF's on Arnav & Khushi : updated pg 165 - Page 6

I have been told that I did not describe how Aman looks. At that time, it did not seem important enough. But now, to make it easier to visualize the rest of the story, let's just say that he is Arman of the early DMG days (that is before he got all tattooed and beefy) – my first love!!! No wonder Arnav is so jealous and worked up!! Aman is a total hunk.

It took all of Khushi's strength to hold him up and not tumble to the floor with his dead weight on her. As she tried to hold him steady against her slight frame and the wall behind him, she wondered what she could do next. The man had actually passed out in her arms, she giggled, having no clue as to how to help him. "Chalo, hisab barabar hua!" she remembered the time in the guesthouse, then guiltily focused on the task at hand. What now?

She could drag him towards the mooda's a short distance away … umm no… he would be too heavy to lug till there. She could leave him lying here on the roof and go get help … no, it didn't seem right to leave him lying there, she scolded herself for even the tempting thought crossing her mind.

He was getting heavier now, and balancing him on one shoulder awkwardly she tried to peep over the parapet, trying to spot someone to call up. "Khushi", he whispered drowsily, his warm breath on her ear, as he tried to nuzzle into her hair.

Khushi panicked… she had to get him help before he got more delirious … and looked around frantically. Maybe I'll have to leave him here only and get help, she decided.

And then she spotted a third person storming onto the terrace; phone in hand – an image that was becoming increasingly familiar lately. Aman was loudly arguing with someone and pacing up and down on the roof.

"AMAN", Khushi hissed loudly trying not to wake up the monster in her arms … "AMAN", she said louder, till she saw him stop mid sentence and look her way. "I'll just call you back", he spoke curtly on the phone and rushed towards them.

"Now what … ", he started before Khushi cut him and looked pointedly at her precarious position here. As Aman took the weight of the unconscious ASR on himself, Khushi babbled on about his fever and getting help, thankful to see Aman come to her rescue.

"You better go get babuji while I take him to my room. His fever seems unnaturally high, and we must not delay anymore." Aman assessed the situation and took charge, seeing Khushi panicking.

Khushi ran down to where the phera's had just ended, cursing Arnav once again for making her miss the ceremony!

When she and babuji reached Aman's room, she noticed that Aman had removed the black achkan and placed Arnav on one side of his bed. Khushi took in his sleeping form, clad in a cream silk kurta, buttons slightly undone, displaying his virile chest. His face still looked an image of pain, and Khushi wondered what could be going through his mind even in his sleep. She was jolted out of her thoughts, as babuji and Aman took charge of the situation, taking Aanav's temperature and issuing instructions to Khushi.

**

"But Aman, you cannot shout at her like that on the phone!" Khushi whispered in exasperation, "I told you to tell her you love her, remember?"

It was very late at night. They were both were in Aman's room speaking quietly. After babuji had been called up everything happened in a flurry, as the ceremony over, everyone rushed up to check on Arnav. Strangely it was nani who insisted that they not move Arnav for tonight at least, as they would have to go and do some more rituals for the bride and who would look after Arnav in all of that. Khushi found the naughty smile on her face a little odd, but then this whole family was very odd as far as she was concerned! Amma had immediately sat beside Arnav cooling his forehead with a cold compress to get his fever down. In all the commotion, Khushi could not even say a proper good bye to jiji, and that is another fault of yours Arnav Singh Raizada, she grumbled as she was made to sit up and watch over him along with Aman for the next few hours, so that amma could get some sleep.

Khushi, washed and scrubbed of all her finery, her hair rolled up in an untidy knot, sat curled up on an armchair next to where Arnav slept. Her legs, clad in her voluminous salwar, were curled up under her. Behind Arnav, lying on the other side of the bed, was Aman grumbling about women in general!

"And what's with you and Him," he said suddenly with a sulk, pointing towards the sleeping form next to him. "Shhh…." Khusi hushed him, when she saw Arnav stir, and reached out to touch his forehead to check his temperature. As she bent over him, she saw him open his drugged eyes, and stare at her silently. Khushi froze. But before, she could react, his eyes shut and the steady rise and fall of his chest showed her that he was again fast asleep. She looked beyond him towards Aman, and found him too curled up and asleep. So much for sitting up with her, she thought nastily, trying to find a comfortable position in her chair, and wait for morning when this monster would be taken to his mansion.

**

And that was the first vision Arnav had the minute he opened his eyes sometime in the wee hours of the morning. The room was still dark, as the sun had not come up yet. As his eyes adjusted to the semi darkness he saw Khushi curled up uncomfortably on a chair, within his arms reach. He stared spellbound at her tousled hair, which had opened sometime during the night. Stray curls were falling across her forehead, and Arnav itched to reach over and tuck them behind her ears. Her face was scrubbed clean of all makeup and he was taken aback by her loveliness, which needed no adorning. He could get used to waking up like this, Arnav thought to himself.

A shuffle from behind broke his thoughts and he turned to find Aman fast asleep beside him. Seeing Aman brought Arnav back to the present, and he felt a wave of anger engulf him. He turned back with a frown, trying to figure out where exactly he was, and how he got there. That's when he felt a cool hand on his forehead, and turning towards the chair, saw a sleepy Khushi automatically reach out and feel his temperature. She had not realized as yet, that his wide-awake eyes were giving her an unblinking stare. Suddenly his hand reached up and caught her wrist in a vice-like grip that woke Khushi up. Her startled eyes met his. "He wakes up also angry," Khushi told herself, and she tried to clam her racing pulse. Before she could get her bearings together, the hand tightened painfully and pulled her out of her chair to land unceremoniously on his chest. Khushi tuned anxiously towards Aman who was thankfully still fast sleep with his back to them.

"Scared the boy friend will object?" Arnav hissed angrily enjoying her struggles against him. Her unbound hair was trailing on his exposed chest, stray locks framing her exquisite face. "But you've already refused his proposal, so why bother what he thinks?" he continued.

Boyfriend, what boyfriend? Khushi looked back at Arnav worriedly. Did he think she was Lavanya? Was he still delirious with fever, she tried to remember how his forehead had felt. She was only aware of the feel of his taut body under her soft one, and even trough the thin silk of his kurta, felt really uncomfortably warm. Resisting an urge to curl up into his arms, Khushi tried to pull away from his grip. "Arnav", she whispered and felt him stiffen under her as she again called his name unthinkingly. "You still have fever", I should call amma…" her voice trailed off, as she saw the intense look in his eyes. Her eyes further widened in shock as she felt his other hand move up towards her face, and gently tuck the stray strand behind her ear. She realized that the hand remained there at the side of her face, burning an impression on her cool skin. It registered somewhere in her befuddled brain that he still had fever, but Khushi was unable to break out of the stupor that surrounded both of them. This just felt too right – to be ensconced in his arms like this. It took all of her will power [and continuous chants of her devi mayyiya] to not collapse on his warm chest and snuggle into his arms for the rest of the night.

It was a grunt from Aman that brought both of them back to their senses, and Khushi sensing an opportunity, stumbled back onto her chair, looking every where but at Arnav. Both of them missed the naughty smile on Aman's face in the dark, and also the sly plan hatching in his mind.

When she had regained some composure, Khushi silently reached out for the thermometer on the bedside table and held it out to him. When she got no response, she gave him an annoyed look and getting out of her chair sat forcefully on the edge of the bed, holding the thermometer near his mouth pointedly. He opened his mouth slowly, all the while staring at her, and let her place the thermometer there gently. Notwithstanding her innocence in these matters, something inside Khushi realized that he was playing with her. Was he mocking her again, she thought angrily? As she fixed her stare on the second needle of the alarm clock on the bedside table, she felt her cheeks go red, aware of his eyes on her all the time. Thank god for the darkness, she thought with relief. Don't want him to see the effect he is having on me. I'd rather die than let him know. She pursed her lips as flashes of another day passed by her mind – when she had told him that she'd rather fall then let him save her, and he had let go of her hand to watch her fall down from his elevated office. Why are they making me look after this monster, Khushi all but cursed her good-natured parents.

He still had a fever though not as high as it was last night. "So why don't you want to get married", Arnav asked in a harsh whisper, when she had wiped and put away the thermometer, and was wondering what to do next. "I thought that was the only aim girls like y…"

"Huh …', she turned towards him, her mind busy calculating the time he was last given a medicine. Yes, she could give him another one; at least he would go back to sleep and not torment her anymore.

Paying no attention to him, she continued to silently fill a glass with water from the jug and took out a pill from its casing. Best will be to ignore his delirious ranting. Must be missing Lavanya, she thought spitefully, ignoring the stab of pain that shot through her at the thought.

When he persisted in staring at her with that sullen look in his face, as she held out the pill and water, Khushi felt a surge of anger. Picking up his hand she slapped the pill on his palm and kept the glass of water close on his bedside. As she flopped back on the chair in disgust, she said harshly, "Just take the medicine, so that you can be okay to leave today. We'll both be better of rid of each other."

Thankfully, she felt the rays of the sun beginning to stream into the room, and heard amma's footfall outside the room, and was spared any further communication with Arnav for now at least.